Ritual Of Flowers
by PersonaOfBetrayal
Summary: Tidus decides to make one last journey across Spira, with just the anticipation of his dearest one's happiness being all he needs. Oneshot, TxY, post X-2.
He stood on the shoreline, the cool liquid lapping at his bare feet. Shimmers of the faint twilight gleamed on his brow as the rosy remnants of a blush clung to his cheeks. He released his breath, its sound drifting to the waves. Time stood still.

Today had been wonderful, he thought. He was certain that there was no better feeling than answering the front door to see that _she_ had returned from her political voyage. Though there would be dark bags and bloodshot veins embellished on her eyes, her beams of imminent joy would always shine through. Their day was spent on their bed, relaxing and eating and catching up and laughing before eventually, the temptation of an afternoon nap lulled them.

Her workload had sent her into deeper sleep than him; he couldn't bring himself to rouse her from her dreams – her delicate body from the drapes. Instead he walked alone into the amber haven of the beach, wanting to stretch his legs for one of their special moonlit strolls across the sands, hand in hand.

But lately he had gotten to think.

The setting sun had always given him time to think.

The thought had been wafting around his mind for some time now. It sparked a gentle grin whenever the thought came to him, but then it turned to nervousness. To fretting and internal bickering, channelling into inquisitive noises and the thumping of feet. With the thought came the reminders of years ago, to a maester's wicked schemes and the men that tried to consolidate power by using her title. He didn't want her to even remember those times. Never.

His noises were given company by another's noises, and so he was inclined to see where they were coming from. The sight made him raise an eyebrow and stifle a pitying chuckle; the strange young man who lived in the shabby hut just a little ways away was hunched over the rocks, struggling to untangle his long, thin fishing net. They had seen him around their area of the reef and occasionally mingling with the village folk, and he was always oddly amusing to talk with. He shook his head and waded into the shallows, pulling the man out of his predicament in just a few minutes.

"Thanks, Sir Tidus," he said quietly yet sincerely. He struggled to keep eye contact amidst his embarrassment. "I'm still kind of new to the island life."

He laughed it off and gave his condolences through a hand wave; he knew the difficulty all too well back when he made his home on the island. Slowly the young man raised a high, dark eyebrow, his dimples giving way to a mischievous smirk as he crossed his arms.

"You have that look about your eyes again," he played as his voice jumped up an octave. "You and Lady Yuna – I've been seein' it in the both of youse."

Tidus made a few questioning sounds and tried to suppress his habit of rubbing his neck. Hearing second-hand of _her_ reactions to people, especially _him,_ always kicked up a reflex.

"You know, my mom and dad always looked at each other like that," the man released his breath, staring off into the horizon. "That's why they made that bond, so they'd always—"

"Bond?"

"They even passed everything down to me in case I needed it," the man turned to see Tidus' curious, bright face. The sight got a smile out of him. "Exactly. Wanna come in and see?"

It didn't take long for him to comply. How could he refuse such an offer?

And so the setting sun was spent by the tales of ancient times– of stories from before the rise of store-bought engagement rings, the thrashing of public appeasements and vows of sacrifice to keep the terrorising forces of evil from the world's surface. A tradition drowned out by the coming of the spiral: the cherished thoughts and the memories of a relationship, hand-crafted into a special circular object to be presented to their beloved. They would relish in the birth of a mutual, deeper understanding of each other – the personal, powerful bond that would keep them together for eternity.

"You'll probably need this. It preserves living things," the man handed the awestruck one a dark bottle of liquid. It was colourless yet had a glazed texture. It felt like sticky gel.

Tidus plunged deep into thought again, uncaring for the awkward silence.

"I'm sure whatever you decide to make, she'll appreciate it if you put effort into it," the man gave him a reassuring smile. The flickers of light coming from the distant spheres on the sea indicated that dusk was upon them. Tidus left the hut with a heavy weight on his mind, in more ways than one. "Just be sure to make it circular, all right? You know why. Thanks for helping me today."

With that the man unravelled the heavy curtain over the doorframe. Tidus was left standing there, the crickets chirping in the forest glades behind him, the lavender sky gently shading his surroundings. The sun had set long ago. He began walking toward the hidden reef.

The only thing that came to mind with the word 'circular' was an accessory. But Yuna already had plenty of bracelets and filets – from her past job with the Gullwings, the dresspheres and from appreciative gifts and donations. He thought of a wreath after that, but those were traditionally for festivals. And it would die pretty quickly would she decide to go into an unfamiliar climate.

Although he had to admit: the flowers would look really nice on her.

He thought nothing of the rustling in the greenery when he started across the boardwalk, but a feminine cry and a rush of white fabric spun him around. Yuna was cooped up between the trees, her hands muddy and her smile as wide as ever. The realisation of what he was thinking about just in front of her gave him urges to melt into a sputtering mess. Instead he (just about) smoothly brushed it off and daunted over to her side.

"Yuna, you can't forage at this time of night," a cheeky look appeared on his face as he helped her out of the shadows. He suppressed a light laugh. "It's too dark to see."

"Well…" she mimicked the same look before her lips deflated into a pout. "I lost my moon hibiscus yesterday. I'm looking for another one."

His eyes and movements softened. "Hey, don't worry about it. We'll find one some other time."

She stared at him with a mildly surprised look before it transitioned flawlessly into gratefulness.

' _And a whole lot more than that_ ,' he took her hand, gently rubbing off the mud with his gloved thumb. "For now let's get washed. Then we could go for a walk. Sound good?"

Yuna got changed into her bathrobe and went to sit on the dock, filling up a pail with soap and ocean water. Tidus folded up the dress she wore and took note of the flower petals sown onto the sleeves. He left it in their ever-growing laundry basket, staring out of the window. He put on his own bathrobe and joined her outside, holding her from behind and soaking her flowing hair, both of them staring at the spatial ocean illuminated by the milky moon and violet coral reefs.

"I'm going away all day tomorrow to do some things. And then I've planned something for us. " Yuna bit her lip with inquisitiveness as she tilted her head back. Tidus offered her a counteracting smirk.

"Care to tell me?"

"Nah."

"Please?" she bore into him with _those_ eyes.

"Here's a hint," he whispered huskily before bending down to capture her lips with his. He pulled away slowly, just in time to feel her hands creeping up his thighs. The moon accentuated the look in their eyes.

* * *

Tidus had contacted the Celsius at dawn to pick him up in Kilika. The weird, mop-haired man on the other side of the Commsphere was more than perturbed at these hours, but luckily Yuna's sweet voice had shut him up. They made their way down to the new and improved S.S. Liki. He waved Yuna and his early-bird blitzball buddies goodbye, and muttered something privately to Wakka before the ship made its daily routine.

Morning came when he finally docked onto Kilika. Already he could feel the sweltering heat that it was infamous for. Only a few residents of the developing town were up and about, and most of them were waiting at the ship docks. Weekends were lazy on this island.

He held the cold bottle of liquid against his face as he scavenged through the rainforest. He was looking for a particular flower, and when an incredibly strong smell invaded his nostrils he knew he found it. The Kilikan spice flower: its crimson petals separated during hot temperatures to 'sweat out' spicy oil. He remembered it fondly for one incident.

During the pilgrimage they had stopped to have a campfire dinner in this very rainforest. Lulu handled the cooking most of the time due to her experience and efficiency. Little did everyone know, she had a hidden knowledge of the spice flower. In fact the broth in their soup was easily half-rations and half-oil.

Wakka, not being the most passive eater in the world, ended up with his tongue writhing in the dirt. But Tidus was more surprised than disgusted. He was by no means a connoisseur, but the spices used in his Zanarkand were processed and definitely on the flavourless side; they were the reason why he had gone off most takeouts in his district. But this? This was some _proper_ stuff. From then on he saw his soup as a challenge. He had gulped down the whole bowl just to impress Yuna, but she ended up laughing her lungs out at his stern, reddening, tearful face.

He shook his head at the embarrassing memory and knelt down to the flower, covering his nose with his hood and pouring some of the bottled liquid onto it. It formed a smooth crystalline coating around the stem and petals. Some of the oil dripped off while doing so, forming a teardrop shape at the stigma.

With the stench disappearing he plucked the flower and twirled it around in his fingers to test it. He heard droning, roaring sounds in the distance as well as a brief view of spraying water over the trees. Looks like his ride was here. Hopefully the pilot, the crew member who won 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' that week, would be willing to compromise with him.

* * *

"You got up in the morning just to go make something for Yunie?" to his slight fear, Rikku was the pilot this time. At least she was one of his best friends. She let out a tiny squeak and covered her face with her hands. "That's so cute!"

"She deserves it," Tidus said simply. She clambered into the pilot's seat.

"What're ya making her?"

"I'm thinking something like… a flower crown," he said while lowering his voice. Expecting Rikku to squeal he quickly made a zipping motion across his mouth. "Keep this between us, all right? I want this to be secret. And I don't want _them_ finding out I hired the ship just to pick some flowers."

"You got it," she nodded fervently, holding a finger over her lips before curling it downwards in thought. "Hey. You know that big, twisting road down in the Mushroom Rocks? There's some really tough roots under the path. We could go down and get some. You know, to make the crown bit."

"…The Mushroom Rocks?" he muttered in a deadpan, disparaging tone. Suddenly the thought of making the crown out of roots made blood rush to his heart; he remembered a certain special place. "Maybe not there, but you gave me a really good idea. Thanks, Rikku!"

"No prob!" she giggled, twisting the handlebars. "So where to, Tiddles?"

"Mi'ihen Highroad. Drop me off at the sphere." His subconscious made him grip on tightly to the smaller cockpit behind him.

* * *

Upon arriving he immediately turned around and descended onto the balcony overlooking Luca. He picked up a few of the cosmos from the hanging basket. The time that he and Yuna had made fools of themselves, both in front of each other and possibly the whole of Luca, was just too precious to let go. He bunched them together and poured the liquid on them.

It was afternoon when he got to the Mi'ihen Agency. Thanking the hovercraft driver he turned his sights to the little hill overlooking the ruins. It was here they sat, surrounded by lavender, talking about their journey so far and watching the sunset. It was also here, although he would only find out much later, that Yuna admitted the growing feelings she had for him. A cluster of purple chrysanthemums were blooming around a rock. He cut them and some of the lavender and bunched them together with the liquid.

' _That wasn't all she thought about, though_ ,' he noted sadly. That sunset was the last chance she had to say her goodbyes to her guardians and friends. It felt so strange looking back on it – that she was willing to give up her life. To die so young and with confidence, especially considering how much she lives for now.

' _But then I was the same way at one point,'_ he mused. And with that bitter reminder he tightened his grip on the bunch of flowers in his hand. ' _That's not going to happen again.'_

* * *

The Moonflow: the river where dreams were had and wishes were made. During the day it would seem like nothing more than a murky swamp where all of the lesser species in Spira lurked, but during the night it turned into a whole other world.

Both Tidus and Yuna refused to go here during the night. Not until they had the chance to go _together,_ when they could truly experience and cherish the fabled magic of the river for the first time _._ And what was a better time to go than during an evening in spring, the season of love itself? The problem was that they weren't the only couple with that idea. The main bank was full of men and women tightly packed into queues, grumbling and rabbling as the overworked shoopuf moaned with the stress on its spine and the machinery cranked awfully with its rust. It was not a good mood at all.

So they took the matter into their own hands. They made their way to a distant, obscure part of the river, where the nature was thick and the shallow water covered the ground so that the tree trunks couldn't be seen. He had carried her in his arms, the night silent save for the chirping birds. The moon lilies that had drifted with the currents opened up, sprinkling the moody forest with colours and lighting up their way. They came to rest on a small mound of fallen blossoms, the partings in the trees giving them a clear and beautiful view of the river, where an orange moon hung. It was there that the air of passion took full control of them for the first time.

Tidus knelt on the bank to look at the moon lilies. The twilight had painted the sky a lovely golden-pink. He waited for one of them to open and release their pyreflies before pouring the liquid on it; he wouldn't want to trap the little guys inside. He drank in the view before setting off down the road and towards the sphere.

* * *

The state of Macalania Woods was a heartbreaking sight. The magic stones were breaking and crumbling into dust, the colours were washed out, the butterflies were nowhere to be seen and the ambient crystal chimes had vanished. All that was left were a cold mist coming in from the glacier and a few barren trees. He had only heard of it dying through a mention on the news network. Yuna had went quiet whenever the woods were brought up in any way, and eventually they had both gone to see the lake before it had dried up and was nothing more than a pit.

Even the mother tree that overlooked the lake was struggling to stay alive. It was bent and was quickly shedding its leaves. Tidus and Rikku crossed the dipping ridge to stand on the tree's island. He took his sword and began to cut off some of the roots, giving the samples to her so she could cut them smaller and carry them back to the airship.

"Me and the other Al Bhed were trying to figure out a way to save this place," Rikku whispered sadly, scraping away at the malleable wood with her knife. "This was where all our sphere water came from. But then, before you came back… I don't think Yuna wanted to let this place go."

He couldn't think of a whole response to that. His voice got caught in his throat at the mental image. Guilt overwhelmed him.

"But you know, even if this disappears, at least the memories stay," Rikku gave him a sad smile and rubbed her cheek with her finger. "And with some memories you can just see 'em in your head. Like they never went away in the first place. I think whatever you and Yunie talked about that night, you're not gonna forget that easily."

That cheered him up a little. He turned to face her and looked down at the roots. A few glowing crystals were still embedded into them. "You're right, Rikku. Thank you for that."

She was a little shocked by his tone. He didn't that sincere very often. "Well, I'll try to keep these things alive. Let's hope Brother doesn't throw a fit. He hates it when the water's used up!"

They made their way back, Rikku carrying a stack of roots and Tidus keeping near her out of caution. He took one last look at the tree from a distance. It was under that very tree where their relationship was taken to a deeper level; where he had promised to stay by her side despite them both being on a march towards death and outcast from society. Despite the hardships and the futility, they both promised to be together always, still talking and laughing and walking together like they always had.

The roots of that tree being the foundation of their bond – it felt just _right._

* * *

Tidus made sure to greet Kimahri whenever he got the chance to see him, which wasn't very often. Humans very rarely scaled Gagazet unless it was to relax in the famous hot springs. Night had now fallen, and the Aurora Borealis was on full display in the sky now that the blizzards had mysteriously subsided for the most part. He saw a few muscular Ronso scaling Yuna's statue to place flowers on her horn. This immediately got Tidus' interest.

"Ruins floating above Gagazet. Seeds of flowers fall down from ruins. Ronso find flowers on mountain each day," Kimahri explained. His voice had gone unusually softer now that he was a respected figure. "Ronso think flowers sacred blessing of Yuna statue. Ronso put flowers on stone Yuna statue. Flowers blow off. Cycle amuses Kimahri."

"I can see why," Tidus remarked as he watched them. "I'm thinking of getting one of those flowers for Yuna. Think you can help me, big guy?"

The Ronso noticed the colourful bouquet he was holding in his hand. It almost made him smile. "Ronso keep anything Ronso find. But Tidus friend. Kimahri will discuss."

It didn't take long for him to get the Ronso to give up a flower, which was impressive considering their stubborn nature. He turned it over to Tidus. It appeared to be an edelweiss. He thanked Kimahri, poured the liquid and got onto the airship again, descending towards Zanarkand.

He didn't know why he did. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking; the ground was still uninhabitable and unable to produce. He walked along the cracked, waterlogged road, the monkeys darting and weaving between his legs. The Gullwings had told him that Cid tried to turn the place into a tourist attraction, and then Rikku proudly proclaimed that they infested the area with monkeys and drove the people away. They were expecting him to be happy to an extent, that they had protected such a sacred place of memories, and he _did_ laugh it off…

But he secretly wished that they hadn't done that. Having people around would have made the ruins feel less lonely.

Just then he felt a jabbing sensation on his leg. Before he could react a monkey had ripped the flowers out of his hands and ran off towards the debris. Tidus stood there in disbelief before a bout of anger swarmed him. He took off in a full sprint.

"Hey! Give those back!"

Being an agile one he quickly caught the thief mid-jump and took back the bunch. It thrashed around in his grasp and screeched for help. Feeling guilty (and afraid of an ambush) he set the monkey on the ground. It rounded one of the decimated buildings and an uproar of 'eeks' and 'ooks' began from behind it. He followed the sound of the commotion and noticed a herd of monkeys crowded around a spot on the sea, bouncing and poking something. He peeked over them, and his eyes brightened upon realising what it was.

A singular flower was growing in the muddy soil. It was the first sign of natural life in a thousand years.

His instincts told him to go and harvest it, but a wiser part of his mind told him to leave it. Why would he rob such an important sign from a landmark such as Zanarkand? It didn't feel right. As the monkeys' curiosity for the strange object left them – instead digging into their piles of food donations, he grinned widely and activated his earpiece.

"Guys, get down here! You're not gonna believe this," Tidus began to talk excitedly as he looked up at the Celsius. "I found something growing outside the ruins."

Through some miracle, the city of the dead was slowly coming back to life.

* * *

The hibiscus was always Yuna's favourite flower, and how could anybody question that with how perfectly it complimented her? It was delicate, soft, bright and one of a kind. It was an ancient emblem of the tropical islands. Her specific favourite was the moon hibiscus: a very rare, immortal breed only found on Besaid which glistened a luminous white in the darkness. She had found one in the forest one night and was enamoured with it. She was more upset with her loss than she let on.

That was why Tidus was determined to make up for it.

He carried the box of roots and the flowers in one hand whilst clutching a Charm Bangle in the other. It was way past midnight and he could barely make out the path due to all of the shadows. All he could count on was the faint light of the moon, which was already beginning to descend.

Stumbling through ferns and thickets – over logs and boulders, a strong glow reflected off of his face. He followed its direction and came to a circular clearing of rainwater ponds and chairs made of stones. The legendary flower stood sturdy in the centre, its twirling petals gazing up at the moon and shining white onto its surroundings. Tidus sat down beside the flower and observed it with the corner of his eye, relishing in it and the moon's useful light.

He got out everything he needed and began to construct the flower crown. He twisted the roots and chained them together, a few of the crystal particles showing through. He took the long structures of the lavender and connected them on the back, letting them fall upside-down to create a veil. He bunched the cosmos between them and placed the spice flower on the top-right ridge. The moon lily and the edelweiss went towards the front, leaving room for the crown jewel itself.

Tidus plucked the moon hibiscus, wrapped the stem around the crown and sealed it together with the liquid. He gently smoothed out the creases in the petals and held the crown up, admiring his work with a smile. The moon had disappeared behind the trees and slithers of orange were starting to ignite from the eastern horizon. It was almost time for the sun to rise.

He set the crown in the box and closed the lid. He gathered all of his things and quickly made his way back onto the main road, turning his course toward the beach. He ran into Wakka and the Aurochs along the way. They were heaving and wiping the sweat from their bodies.

"Job's done," Wakka huffed heavily from his throat. He was carrying his construction tools under his arm. "I'm takin' a _long_ nap. You put the girl to good use, ya—ah?"

Letty rushed forward and caught Wakka as he nearly fell to his knees. Tidus gave him a pat on his back for a job well done. He grinned, yelled a farewell to the men and sprinted to the back entrance of the seaside cove. He took in the sight of the crafting bobbing up and down with the waves. He laid his free hand against the solid teak planks.

' _Thanks, everyone,'_ he sniffled quietly.

Yuna's waist-length hair ghosted in the breeze. She wavered with her hands behind her back, taking in deep breaths of the brine. Any minute now the sky would begin to ignite with golden colours. Tidus casually came up to stand beside her, stretching his arms above his head.

"Hey you," Yuna said, grinning up at him.

"Back at ya," Tidus returned the gaze. After a few silent moments he gently took her hand, slowly pulling her along the coast. She didn't object at all.

"Let me guess," she exaggeratedly pondered with her fingers under her chin. "This is that surprise you talked about, isn't it?"

"You don't forget anything, do you?" he chuckled. He stopped in front of the cove entrance and turned to face her. "Now close your eyes."

"Tidus…?"

"Just for a little bit, all right?" he smiled and ruffled her hair. "Don't fall asleep."

He ran into the cove, ascended onto the desk and unfurled the sail. He pushed his way out of the exit with the lever and let the breeze carry him silently to where Yuna was standing. He leapt off and strode over to her, tapping her on the shoulder and getting her to turn around. Her reaction definitely made all of the scrapped blueprints and manual labour worth it.

"Welcome to the Dreamstrider," he declared proudly. He turned to feast his eyes on the yacht himself. Yuna stepped deeper into the ocean, her mouth frozen in an open state. "We're gonna watch the sunrise on it."

Tidus helped her onto the deck and sailed them deeper into the ocean. Yuna was still in utter disbelief, but her careful movements combined with how she looked at him told him that she was very happy indeed. They stood against the railing, watching in silent awe as the world caught on fire. Reds and rosy pinks chased away the darkness, the rising sun heralding the coming of a new day.

"It's beautiful," Yuna whispered, leaning into her lover's side and playing with his hair. Parts of it had grown past his jaw in the last few years. "Thank you so much."

"I wanted to do something just for us, you know?" he confessed, shifting to hold her by the waist. Time seemed to stand still. "Something we can always do together."

She squeezed him lightly in affection.

"Speaking of…" he slowly pulled away and headed to the cabin, much to Yuna's confusion. "Hold on one sec."

He tried not to let his heart accelerate as he picked up the box from the small table. He ascended the stairs and nearly stopped dead in his tracks. The orange glow coloured the right side of Yuna's face, with her silky white dress drifting gracefully in the ocean breeze. He pretended to hold down a cough to hide the tint on his cheeks and then passed the box to her with a shy grin.

"Well? Whatcha waiting for?" he tilted his head and bent his knees to catch a glimpse of Yuna's intrigue.

Her fingers reached forward to lift up the lid from the flat box. She peeped into it, her expression unchanging for a few seconds… Her hand flew to and practically smacked her lips whilst the other reflexively shoved the box back to him. Her eyes went comically wide. She started stammering and darting around in hopes of finding a glass of water. She began to calm down after a while. Her back was turned to him.

"Yuna? Are you okay?" Tidus stepped forward, concern showing upon him.

She turned around very slowly to face him head-on. Her hand, though slipping, was still covering her face. Tears slowly fell from her eyes, which were shining brighter than they ever had. A genuine, shaky grin broke the barriers of her rosy flushed cheeks.

Yuna bounded over to him with alarming speed, wrapping her arms around him and making him stumble backwards. She sobbed and laughed quiet sounds of joy into his chest. Tidus wrapped his free hand around the length of her shoulders, tears escaping his own eyes. She couldn't even form a short sentence, so they just lingered there and let the warmth of the sun's rays speak for the both of them.

"I still need to put this on you," he realised, and she obliged gleefully. Parting, Tidus tucked some long tufts of hair behind her ear and set the crown just over her hairline. They both stood over the ocean to look at her reflection. The veil of lavender had draped over her shoulders.

"I will always wear this," she said while caressing the hibiscus.

"Always?" he snickered.

She paused and began to laugh heartily at that. Embracing him once again, she briefly slid her lips down his long neck. "You really are amazing."

"So are you."

They pressed their foreheads against each other, their eyes half-closed and their noses touching. The yacht's floorboards were creaking with the currents. The waves sloshed against the rocks. The gulls cried way up above. It was a silent, homely sense of passion between them. One that could go on forever providing nothing interrupted them.

Terrible blares of static signals startled them out of their mood. They groaned in unison and tuned their earpieces.

"What is it?" Yuna tried to keep a polite tone despite being ripped from her daze.

" _Sorry to call you two so early in the morning, but I'm warning you ahead of time_ ," Buddy's groggy voice came from the other side. " _Shelinda's team's coming to Besaid this morning. Tidus, I'm sure you know what this is about. Still, nothing you two can't handle, right?"_

* * *

And so that morning, when the sun had gone a blinding white and the sky a radiant blue, the couple stood on the beach as towering cameras, spheres and machines swarmed them. Shelinda was visibly struggling to breathe with the sheen of sweat covering her. She felt the infuriating itch to loosen at least some of her robes, but she just had to remain professional. Villagers stared at the commotion from a distance, and Shelinda immediately stopped her grumbling once it was her cue.

"We are here live at Besaid Island with a priority news report," she barked, clutching the microphone tight and staring blankly into the camera lens. "Last night it has been reported by the team aboard the Celsius that life has finally returned to Zanarkand! I'm here today with the one and only Sir Tidus, who made this very discovery. How and what did you find on those once nuclear grounds?"

Tidus quickly glanced down at Yuna, who was off-camera. She sure was having a lot of surprises today. "Well, I was having a trip down memory lane as they say, and I was looking for something as well when all of a sudden this monkey just stole my stuff. I chased it down, one thing led to another and then I found this… flower growing on the edge."

Both of the girls had to hold back their giggles. "And how do you feel about this? Do you think that people will be able to cohabit there like in the days before the war?"

"I sure hope so. Even if it's not much more than a village, I think it'd sure be nice to see people out there again."

"Thank you for your input, Sir Tidus," Shelinda turned back to the camera. "We will now turn this over to our pictures and sciences team."

She released a tense breath and stopping adding pressure to her back. The technicians fumbled and shuffled around as the people in the distance showed photographs of the flower, as well as a synopsis of the ruins' environment. Shelinda noticed that Yuna was looking very different today. She lowered her microphone to talk to her.

"Why, Lady Yuna… What a beautiful crown!" she gasped, trying to get a look at it from a few angles. "Is it a gift from somebody?"

"It's much more than that," was her simple, vague remark. Luckily she was unable to see the both of them holding hands, though she did keep switching back and forth between their content expressions.

It was a gift for themselves to share as a bond. Through their souls. For eternity.


End file.
